1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to a sprayer and, more particularly, to an improved refillable mist sprayer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mist sprayers generally known as "user pressurized dispensers" are used for spraying liquids in atomized form, i.e., in a mist form. Such sprayers are designed to store and spray liquids that stay in the liquid form over a wide range of temperatures, i.e., not changing its form from liquid to solid, such as water, perfume, deodorants, oil, and vinegar. However, these sprayers are not well adapted for use with liquids that are sensitive to temperature changes. That is, sprayers presently know as "user pressurized dispensers" are not well adapted for use with melted butter for example, because these sprayers are not well insulated. Consequently, after a short period of time the melted butter would cool and solidify. Obviously, the solidified butter cannot be sprayed out of the sprayer. As such, the unused butter within the sprayer has to be either reheated or cleaned out of the sprayer.
However, with today's health conscious public, a sprayer that is well adapted to spraying even melted butter over a long period of time would be advantageous for low fat cooking. That is, by precisely controlling the amount of butter being applied during cooking or over their food, people can enjoy the taste of butter without consuming a lot of fat. For example, by evenly spraying melted butter over a bag of popcorn, people can enjoy the rich taste of butter without using a lot of butter.
Yet another shortfall with today's mist sprayers is their construction. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,077,442, issued to Olofsson, discloses common features in these sprayers. That is, a container with a head provided with a manually operable valve mechanism and a nozzle in communication with the valve mechanism and arranged upon opening of the valve mechanism, to discharge the liquid contained in the container under excess pressure in the form of a spray. A cap is also provided for enclosing the head of the container, and when the cap is forced down, the air inside the cap is pressed and pressure increases, which opens a passage and allows the excess pressure to propagate down into the container. Upon elimination of such excess pressure, the passage again closes. One of the draw backs with the above construction is that as the air propagates into the container, a vacuum is formed inside the cap, and as the cap is withdrawn the vacuum resists the pulling force on the cap. Therefore, cumbersome pumping forces have to be applied to the cap to pump air into the container.
Thus, there still is a need for a mist sprayer that insulates the liquid stored in the sprayer, and makes it easier for a user to pump air into the container.